So to stop the migration push, we need to politically stabilise Libya, and this depends on [Irini],"[36] while Turkey has said that it will provide concrete and effective assistance to Malta.

[40] In June of the same year, European diplomats and officials stated that Turkey was blocking EU attempts to secure NATO's help for the operation.

In May 2020, a French warship participating in the operation intercepted the Gabon-flagged oil tanker Jal Laxmi off the coast of Tobruk and stopped it from docking at the city.

[55] Diplomats told Reuters that the investigation was too sensitive to discuss in public and does not apportion blame, adding that NATO wanted to keep Turkey onside and for this there was no willingness to point a finger.

[59] On 21 September 2020, the EU sanctioned the Turkish maritime company Avrasya Shipping which operated the freighter Çirkin, because the vessel was found to have violated the arms embargo in Libya in May and June 2020.

[60] On 22 November 2020, the German frigate Hamburg, which participated in the operation, intercepted the Turkish 16,000-tonne freighter, Rosalina-A (or Rosaline-A), about 200 km (120 mi) north of the Libyan city of Benghazi.

Later, when Turkey formally and with delay notified of its refusal to grant the permission for inspection, the search operation terminated and the soldiers left the ship.

[63] A secret EU report cited by the Deutsche Presse-Agentur, indicated that the Turkish vessel had long been watched on suspicion of making illegal arms shipments.

[64] Turkish prosecutors launched an investigation into the incident on 27 November 2020, which was not expected to lead to arrests or the extradition of officials involved in the search.

[65] In July 2021, Irini's forces intercepted a Zambian-flagged vessel called MV Gauja for being suspected of transporting illegal arms from Morocco to Libya.

[68][69] In July 2022, Irini inspected the Equatorial Guinea-flagged vessel MV Victory Roro and found that it breached the UN arms embargo.

The vessel was suspected, since it had been identified by UN Panel of Experts of transferring military equipment in Libya before under the name MV Luccello and the flag of the Comoros.

Irini commanders wrote on a statement that all UN members are called by United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to cooperate with inspections.

[72][73] Same month, Irini found and seized military vehicles in the merchant vessel MV MEERDIJK[74] coming from the United Arab Emirates and heading to Libya.